TAX DODGERS WHO CHEAT US OF £1.5BN

Worst civil 'defaulters' named & shamed

- NICK SOMMERLAD

MORE than 4000 of the biggest tax defaulters have faced demands for over £1.5billion from HM Revenue and Customs.

The Government has named and shamed the worst since 2015 and we can reveal the list for the first time.

It only includes those penalised under civil procedures and does not cover criminal convictions for tax fraud, HMRC said.

Hospitality businesses – such as pubs, restaurants and takeaways – and construction trades such as plumbing and plastering each make up about a fifth of those named.

But five of the top 10 are recruitment or payroll firms which owed £145million in tax and penalties.

The biggest tax defaulter is a recruitment firm from Derby, Simplify Contracting Services Limited, which went bust two years ago owing £60.6million to the taxman.

Second is payroll firm Work Legal E Ltd, from Edinburgh, which was first exposed by our sister paper the Mirror and owes £42.2million in tax and penalties. Third is scrap metal dealer JKL (Wakefield) Ltd from Osset, West Yorkshire, which owed £39million to the taxman. Only £2.1million was recovered by the liquidator.

There are 10 firms in Yorkshire involved in scrap or recycling which have been named liable for £60.4million in tax and penalties.